MiR-200a Expression in the Ventral Hippocampus after Adolescent Restraint Stress in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ Mice
Restricted (Penn State Only)
Author:
Anziano, Emma
Area of Honors:
Biology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Helen Marie Kamens, Thesis Supervisor Michael Axtell, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Adolescence Stress Gene expression miR-200a
Abstract:
Adolescence, a key developmental phase in life, is a time of drastic physical and psychological changes where one’s environment can alter the course of development. Stress is one environmental factor that has been shown to negatively impact individuals who experience elevated levels during adolescence, resulting in increased anxiety and depressive disorders in adulthood. Changes in gene expression after stress have been shown to correspond to lasting behavioral changes such as these. The present study aimed to identify changes in miR-200a gene expression in the ventral hippocampus, an area of the brain that matures during adolescence, of C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice after chronic adolescent restraint stress. Mice were placed in a restrainer apparatus for 2 hours each day for 14 days, simulating chronic stress during adolescence. Brains were harvested and ventral hippocampal RNA was extracted and amplified. Then, the expression of miR-200a was compared between stress and control mice. Our results indicate that adolescent restraint stress downregulates miR-200a gene expression in C57BL/6J, but not BALB/cJ, mice. Using bioinformatics tools, miR-200a was found to have 825 target genes, which comprise 115 target pathways. These pathways include the epithelial adherens junction signaling, the pyridoxal 5’-phosphate salvage pathway, DNA methylation and transcriptional repression signaling, WNT/β-catenin signaling, and the pulmonary healing signaling pathway. Overall, the results of this study show that there are strain differences in miR-200a gene expression after adolescent restraint stress.